SUGGESTIONS FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING

[sgarrison]

Anyone have ideas on where to house my chicks when they are old enough to go out but too young to mix in with my full grown hens? I have a nice brooder for the first few weeks, and a nice coop when they are adults, but am at a loss for what to do with them in between!

 

[Chickenfeet]

I have what call my preschool. They go from the brooder to the basement. They are feathered at this point. I have a nice pen set-up until they get big enough to hang with the big guys. Plenty of room to run and roost. It has worked well for me!! They are in the chicken coop before you know it.

 

[redhen]

a kiddie pool with shavings in it and a kiddie/pet fence around it...and if they start to fly out put screening over it..

 

[Highrooster]

When ours were that young we made a small PVC pipe hut. it was only 1 foot high, we put paper and shavings under it and kept them in the garage until they were big enough.

 

[scarter]

I set up a puppy exercise pen. It's metal and folds up when not in use. It has a door and I'm able to clip the light to it. The octagonal shape allows me to put a few low roosts on it.

Then when I mixed my babies with the big girls I put this pen in the corner of the coop without the light and set them there for two to three weeks until the big girls got used to them and they got used to the coop as their permanent home. It worked. Everyone got along after seeing each other through the pen and the babies were able to come back in from free ranging to the coop.

 

[sgarrison]

Thanks! What age do you all usually start to integrate? Last year I did 8 weeks and that went ok....

 

[debakadeb]

Quote:
We are doing something similar. We have panels made of 2x2" boards as the structure with hardware cloth attached to the boards. It resembles a screened in room. Our coop is under a section of a 3-sided pole barn. The screened in section is at the back of the pole barn. This was the temporary home of my first flock before their coop was built.

 

[vermontgal]

I plan to use my chicken tractor for temp housing from ~3-8 week old, and just not use it for the hens during that time. The big gals will just have to settle for the coop + run.

 

[AmynChad]

I have a "big chick" house that is an 8X10 metal storage building that I bought off of Craigslist for $50. It has an attached run. The chicks in there now range from 4 wks-9wks. I was thinking the oldest ones look ready to put with the big girls. Anyone have any suggestions on an appropriate age?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We built a chicken tractor for grow-out housing. In the fall, we moved them to the big coop, in preparation for winter.